SPONSORED BY

Eddie V's - West Ave

The first thing you notice at Eddie V's Prime Seafood is the white waistcoats on the servers. Yeah, it's that kind of place; the restaurant is traditional, even retro, in its layout and style, with a few key modern touches—especially on the menu—that keep things 21st century, from a chilled bottle of Fiji for water to a slightly springy table surface (great for elbows when engaged in deep conversation).

Bypassing the enormous raw bar near the entrance (you can actually sit down at it and pick out your own protein), the dining room is large and has a wall of tinted windows looking into the spotless, steel kitchen. The portions are huge and uniformly well-executed, from Alaskan king crab served over diced avocado and cantaloupe to a Maryland crab cake that's all crab and just a hint of cake. The crab-stuffed shrimp is impossible to resist and the Chilean sea bass steamed Hong-Kong style in a sherry sauce is a great example of a more modern fusion dish. If you've saved any room for dessert, order the bananas foster. There's nothing earthshaking going on here, but it is nice to see seafood classics executed well.